Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, November 22, 2000

2000-11-22 04:00:00 PDT San Francisco -- A 24-year-old man facing abuse charges for biting his dog couldn't make it to court yesterday because of an apparent stroke caused by the strain of being separated from his pet, his attorney said.

Maul was admitted to the hospital Nov. 15 and his attorney, Jasper Monti, said his client was under "a tremendous amount of stress" because of the loss of Boo, who has been impounded pending the outcome of the court case.

Maul is accused of misdemeanor animal abuse from an incident in March and felony abuse from an incident in September.

In both cases, Maul has said, he was using a disciplinary technique -- biting his pet -- that mimics the behavior of wild dogs. Witnesses said, however, that his actions constituted abuse as he pounced on his dog and repeatedly went for its neck as the animal cried out in pain.

Monti said the separation has caused his client mental and physical harm.

"That's his baby. It was definitely a family member, or a pack member," Monti said. "You know people get attached to their animals."

Monti said Maul had complained of severe headaches and sought treatment. He passed out while working at his job as a furniture mover, Monti said.

"He fell out of the truck and went unconscious and someone stole the truck, " Monti said.

"There's no greater stress than the loss of a loved one," Monti said. "Apparently he developed a tear or hole in his neck, that caused a minor stroke."

Gina Pallari, a spokeswoman for California Pacific Medical Center, said Maul was in good condition and was expected to be released soon.

Judge Philip Moscone issued a bench warrant for Maul's arrest, but stayed execution of the warrant until Dec. 1, the next court date.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.